


Spring Snow

by justatiredpotato



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:15:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27665963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justatiredpotato/pseuds/justatiredpotato
Summary: Since Jinho enlisted you’ve been counting the days until his discharge. You reminisce about your last day together and can’t help but wonder if things will be the same after nearly two years apart. Will his feelings be the same? What does the future hold for the two of you?
Relationships: Jo Jinho | Jino/Original Female Character(s), Jo Jinho | Jino/Reader
Kudos: 2





	Spring Snow

You sat in the window seat of your small apartment, a cup of coffee cradled in your hands. It was Friday. Nearly two years ago you would’ve been getting dressed up for a date, planning where to take your darling boyfriend or wondering where he was taking you. When Jinho had to enlist in the military he tasked the rest of his bandmates with taking care of you. When they weren’t touring or promoting they made plans each week to take you to dinner or noraebang, or have a movie night. While you loved the boys and appreciated their concern, you still missed Jinho. You thought back to the last date he took you on, the day before he shipped out. 

♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪

You half expected him to make reservations at some fancy restaurant, five courses, evening wear and all that. But what he did shouldn’t have surprised you. He showed up at five in the afternoon, two hours before he was supposed to pick you up. 

“What are you doing here already?” you asked. You were a little frustrated and very flustered as you pulled a sweatshirt over your thin tank top and twisted your still-damp hair into a messy bun.

“I wanted to catch you before you got all dolled up. Today is a casual date! Just you and me,” Jinho said. 

As you stood there in your baggy sweats, messy hair and no makeup, he looked at you like you were all the stars in the sky. It was enough to make you blush and you turned away before he could melt you into a puddle on the floor. He caught your arm and spun you back to face him. You whined in protest but he dropped the bags he was carrying and wrapped his arms around you. He grinned, face an inch from yours.

“You’re so beautiful, Dove,” he said softly against your lips. He pressed his lips to yours, movements slow but passionate. The kiss was unhurried, not looking to escalate to anything else. After a moment your lungs protested and you pulled away for air. Jinho chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to the exposed skin above the collar of your sweatshirt. You ran your fingers through his hair, scratching gently at his scalp and he hummed appreciatively.

He straightened to look at you, and you knew he was trying to memorize you. He wanted to be able to picture every freckle, every curve, all the complexities of your expressions. You did the same. You knew that a picture could never capture the closeness, love, and security you felt in that moment, in each other’s arms. 

“I brought movies and snacks,” he said. He peppered more light kisses over your face in between words. “Today is just for us. We don’t have to go anywhere. I just wanna be with you.” He held you a bit tighter as he said this, and your heart ached. You blinked rapidly, not wanting to ruin your day together by getting all emotional. Not yet. You didn’t have to say goodbye quite yet. You pulled away a little and reached to grab one of the bags he’d dropped. 

“What movies did you bring?”

“We’ve got all the Marvel movies. Your pick.”

“You are such a nerd,” you teased, even though you would’ve chosen the same. He knew that, but feigned offence anyway. He grabbed the bags of snacks and chased after you to get his revenge for that comment. You laughed, setting the movies on the coffee table and dancing around your living room furniture to evade him.

“How dare you! I am the coolest!” he cried, dramatically dropping the snacks on an end table.

“Mhm, you’re the coolest ahjussi,” you said, brow raised in challenge.

“Ahjussi?” he said. “Oh you’re gonna pay for that one.” He dodged around the coffee table, and you shrieked before fleeing into the kitchen. You slid in your socks as you rounded the kitchen island.

“Careful, Dove!” he scolded, but he was laughing. You dashed back to the living room. He caught up just as you reached the couch. You squealed as he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you against him. He lifted you slightly off the ground, then flopped you both heavily on to the couch. You giggled breathlessly, still wrapped in his arms. The laughter only intensified when he slid his cold fingers under the hem of your sweatshirt and tickled your sides, the thin fabric of your shirt offering no defense.

“I surrender!” you finally cried, grabbing desperately at his hands.

“You surrender? What for?” he laughed, not letting up.

“You aren’t an ahjussi. I’m sorry, oppa,” you hardly got the words out because you were laughing so hard. He relented, hands retreating to just hold you again. His stomach rumbled a little and you glanced at him.

“Snack time?”

“Snack time,” he confirmed with an approving nod.

While he broke into the bag of food, you picked a movie: the first X-Men. 

“Good choice!” he said approvingly as the menu screen appeared. You took the remote and then returned to Jinho, who was summoning you with grabby hands and puppy-dog eyes. You sat as close to him as you could get without being in his lap. While that would’ve been nice too, it would’ve interfered with your snack eating ability, so it’d have to wait. You munched happily for a while before setting aside your bag of snacks in favor of leaning into him. The movie was one of your favorites, but you were far more focused on the man beside you. You pressed your face into his chest and he laughed, shifting so you could lay there more comfortably. 

It took a lot of willpower to push away the emotions that suddenly hit you. Even though he was right there, you already missed him. Your mind already wandered to later that night, when you’d have to say goodbye. To the time a couple of months from then, when his sweatshirts would no longer carry his comforting scent. A year from then, when a whole twelve months, a whole four seasons would have passed while the two of you lead totally separate lives. Two years would pass before you could hold him like this again.

You pulled yourself from that headspace and tried to refocus. As subtly as you could, you wiped the few tears that managed to escape. Jinho shifted to hold you closer, laying you on top of him. If he noticed you crying he didn’t point it out, but you thought you heard him sniffle. There would be plenty of tears later. For now he wanted to pretend that nothing else existed outside of your cozy apartment. 

After the first movie, with the sunlight fading outside your windows, the two of you decided to order takeout: warm rice soup for a chilly winter day. The snow fell in big fluffy flakes outside, muffling sound and making the world seem soft and quiet. You took your time polishing off a big bowl of soup and shared a couple bottles of soju. 

By the end of the second movie you were left feeling warm and safe and happy, bundled together under a blanket. You were curled fully in his lap this time, arms wrapped around his neck so you could press soft kisses to it when the impulse struck you. Each time you did he tilted his head to give you better access and rubbed little circles on the small of your back with his thumbs. The closing scene faded to black and the credits started rolling. You glanced at the clock, startled by how late it was already.

“Jinho, don’t you need to go? You’ll miss the last train,” you asked.

“I don’t have to go. I could stay. I mean, if that’s okay with you of course,” he said. His fingers traced your shoulder blades as he gaged your reaction to his words.

“I’d like that.”

He smiled and placed a kiss over your brow. “Dove?”

“Hm?” you hummed, returning to your task of leaving teasing kisses along his neck and jaw.

“I love you.”

You pulled away to look him in the eyes, your own filling with tears. “I love you too,” you said. Your voice trembled, words hardly above a whisper. Then you kissed him passionately, trying to get across all the emotion you couldn’t put into words for fear of crying. Nonetheless, tears spilled down your cheeks. He pulled you to straddle his lap, holding your body tightly against his. His hands traced the curve of your waist and hips. You peeled off your sweatshirt; suddenly the room was very warm. He chuckled, taking the hint and laying bruising kisses along your collar-bone and shoulder. You moaned appreciatively, threading your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and tugging gently. 

“Jinho,” you called breathlessly. He pulled away immediately, not wanting to go further than you were okay with. He looked over your face, gently wiping away the tears that stained your cheeks. “Can we go to bed now?” you asked nervously. His eyes widened a little but he smiled reassuringly.

“You sure?” he asked. He didn’t want to just take advantage of the emotional moment.

“Yeah. Very sure.”

He leaned in and kissed you again, soft and slow. “I love you. So much,” he breathed, resting his forehead against yours. Then he picked you up and carried you to your bedroom.

♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪

As you sat in your cold, empty apartment you wondered if things would be the same when he returned? Could they be the same? Surely you’d both grown and changed in the time you were apart. Were you even the same people? You kept in touch with letters as much as you could, and he called you every chance he got. But even those phone calls had to be split between you and his family. You understood, of course. You loved him more for the care and attention he gave his family and his friends.

You sighed. Thinking like that wasn’t going to fix anything. You’d made yourself sick the last week or so with those worries. You needed a distraction. Maybe you should take the guys up on that movie night invitation. You stood and put your empty mug in the sink, you could wash it later. You changed into some comfortable jeans, pulled on a coat, and grabbed your keys. You paused as you went to turn the door handle. After a moment’s consideration you went to your room and grabbed one of Jinho’s sweatshirts and put it on under your coat.

Outside, the weather was shockingly cold for spring. There was an icy nip in the air, and the damp chill sank through to your bones. Somehow the cold only intensified the loneliness as you wished your person was there for you, ready to warm you up and keep you safe. You walked faster, hurrying into the train station. The boys’ dorm was only three stops away, so you arrived on their block in less than twenty minutes. You thought about texting them and letting them know you decided to join, only to realize you forgot your phone at your apartment. It probably didn’t matter though. You dropped in unannounced sometimes, and they had planned on you coming anyway. 

You stepped out onto the platform, and climbed the stairs to the street. Again a cold gust of wind hit you, stinging your cheeks. Something soft landed lightly on your hair. You looked up at the sky and found the grey clouds were sprinkling snow. You held out your hand to catch one of the fluffy crystals and it quickly melted away in your palm. You’d seen snow all through the winter, and it had occasionally made you think of the day you’d parted with Jinho, but for some reason that day it hit you like a bullet to the heart. You’d spent weeks worrying about how your relationship would be different when he returned and if he would still want you. Now it was so close to his return, but the remaining time seemed to drag on which only allowed your fears to grow. This random snow flurry on a spring afternoon was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

You didn’t even realize you’d started crying until you drew a gasping breath that became a sob. The freezing air burned your lungs, but once you started you couldn’t stop. Passersby gave you looks that ranged from judgemental to concerned. You put your head in your hands and tried to pull yourself together. One girl, walking with her boyfriend, even stopped to ask if you were okay. You managed a shaky smile and thanked her before hurrying on your way.

By the time you reached the door of the guys’ apartment complex you’d managed to pull yourself together a bit. You drew the occasional hiccuping breath, but the tears had stopped falling. You wiped at your face with the soft sleeves of your sweatshirt before punching in the code to enter the building. The elevator ride to their floor was awkward, the ahjumma that got on with you kept flashing you worried looks and you were glad that you arrived at your floor before she asked you anything. 

You stood in front of the apartment door and took a steadying breath. Then you checked your face in the reflective metal trim of the door. The weather was a good enough excuse for your red cheeks and nose, and your eyes hadn’t gone too puffy. As long as your voice didn’t break the guys shouldn’t notice anything was wrong. You ran a hand through your hair to smooth the tangles from the wind, then rang the bell.

“Dove?” came Yuto’s voice from the intercom. He sounded surprised. “You’re here!”

“Yeah. Does the movie night invitation still stand?” you asked.

“Of course!” he assured you. “Dove’s here,” he called to the other guys. You could hear some kind of commotion happening in the background.

“Is this not a good time? I can leave if something’s come up. I should’ve called but I left my phone at home.”

“What? No! It’s fine,” Hwitaek said. There was a pause before you heard the click and cheerful chime as the door opened. “We were trying to call you so we could talk you into coming. I was actually going to come check on you since you weren’t picking up.”

“Sorry I worried you. That’s sweet,” you said. You took off your wet shoes and shrugged off your coat. Yuto took it and hung it on a hook by the door. 

“We’re glad you came,” Yuto said. He smiled awkwardly and looked at Hwitaek, as if he couldn’t think of something else to say. They seemed nervous for some reason.

“Dove!” Wooseok poked his head into the hall from the living room. He grinned and waved at you, obviously excited. You laughed at the enthusiasm.

“Hey Wooseok, how’s it going?” You walked down the hall and greeted him with a high-five.

“Awesome!” he said, eyes sparkling with a bit of mischief as Yuto and Hwitaek joined you in the living room. The rest of the guys were sprawled out across the couch, most of them bundled up to fight against the chill with various combinations of hoodies and enormous blankets. One of them had brought out a comforter and had it wrapped tightly around him so only his nose was visible. You did a double take back to him as you scanned over the room. 

The boy wrapped the blanket tighter and you looked over the room, doing a mental headcount. Hwitaek, Yuto, and Wooseok stood next to you, Wooseok still smirking. Hongseok and Yanan were crammed into the corner of the sectional under a blanket where they’d been looking over Yeoone’s shoulder at something on his phone. Now they looked up to watch you.

“Glad you could make it,” Kino greeted you from his spot on the floor. Shinwon leaned toward him to whisper something in his ear and they both laughed. Finally, your eyes fell on the figure bundled in the comforter again. You frowned, not yet understanding. There was one extra person.

“Did Hyojong come by?” you asked no one in particular. This caused several of them to laugh again. Your eyes widened and you caught a familiar pair of warm brown eyes looking at you from the bundle of fabric.

“Jinho?” you said. Your voice was hardly more than a whisper but the blinding smiles on the guys faces told you they’d heard. The comforter shrouded figure stood and unwrapped himself, setting it aside. “Jinho,” you said again. This time your voice was thick with tears as your hands came to your face.

“Surprise.” He stepped forward to hold you but you were already there, wrapping your arms around his slim waist and pulling him close. In your hurry to hold him you knocked him off balance, forcing him to sit heavily on the couch and dragging you with him. Your knees bumped the frame of the couch as you fell but you didn’t care.

“Woah, are you okay, babe?” he asked, but you couldn’t spare the breath to speak. He lifted you slightly so he could pull you into his lap. He pressed kisses into your hair as you cried against his shirt. He hadn’t even changed out of his fatigues yet. “Hey, it’s okay. Are you okay?” he tried to soothe you but was also clearly a little worried.

“How?” you managed to gasp out, words muffled by his shirt.

“I got discharged a bit early. I wanted to surprise you.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I’d say you succeeded.”

He laughed with you but you heard his voice break. “God I missed you so much.” You felt a tear fall from his cheek to land in your hair, still damp from the snow. He squeezed you tighter and tucked his face to your neck. The room was quiet except for your quiet crying and Jinho’s attempts to take steady breaths. You heard a sniffle from the other side of the room and decided it was probably Hwitaek. After a moment Jinho pulled away and cupped your face in his palm, still holding you tightly to him with one hand around your waist.

“I love you,” he said shakily, forehead resting on yours.

“I love you too,” you answered immediately. Fresh tears fell down your cheeks but you didn’t care. And then, to your surprise, he kissed you. He wasn’t really one for that kind of PDA, particularly around the guys. Usually the furthest he’d go with others around was holding your hand, or an arm around your shoulders or waist. Your time apart had effectively dissolved any restraint he had though because he kissed you like he meant it. It wasn’t a pretty kiss, it was urgent, expressing all the need he’d felt and all the love he’d been waiting to give you over the last two years. 

“Hey, keep it PG you guys. There are kids here,” Hui scolded as the boys cheered or booed, you couldn’t tell and honestly you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Jinho ignored the younger men, only pulling away when you were thoroughly breathless, cheeks dusted a bright pink. His eyes were still locked with yours and his tongue darted out to taste your lower lip. You blushed even brighter and turned away, suddenly aware that you had an audience. 

“Alright, alright, save some for later. Jeez,” Shinwon teased, trying to play off the awkwardness of the moment.

You laughed, embarrassed. “Sorry.”

Jinho, however, was not sorry. He stood, placing you on your feet and pulling you out into the hallway.

“Jinho, wha-” you started, but before you could finish his mouth was on yours again. He pressed you against the wall, body flush with yours. Your hands grasped at his chest and shoulders. You noted the muscle he’d put on while in the military and your mind wandered, hoping you’d get a better look at him later. His hands wandered over your body, reacquainting himself with your curves. When his hands brushed over your stomach you caught his hands, embarrassed at the extra weight you’d put on in his absence.

“The gym wasn’t fun without you,” you explained as he kissed along your jaw. He persistently pushed your hands away, this time his fingers found the hem his hoodie you were wearing and slipped underneath to smooth over your bare skin.

“You’re perfect,” he said. His words were muffled as his lips still pressed to your skin, but they still sent a flush of heat through you. He straightened to reconnect his lips with yours, running his tongue along the seam of your lips. You parted them slightly, happy to let him take the lead. His hands slid down to your hips, enjoying how soft you felt in his grasp. After several minutes–or possibly several hours, you’d lost all sense of time by that point–Hwitaek hollered at the two of you from the living room.

“Hey, perverts! Either take it to your bedroom or come have dinner with us civilized folk.” That earned a wave of laughter and several hoots and hollers from the other boys who had been pretending not to listen in the next room.

Jinho finally pulled away, laughing and stealing tiny kisses as he spoke. “I hate to do this, but I’m starving. I’d just barely walked in the door when you showed up.” 

You smiled, bumping his nose with yours and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Let’s go eat. We have all the time in the world now.” You turned to rejoin the boys in the living room, but he caught your wrist as you entered the doorway.

“Dove, wait. I want us to have all the time in the world. I never want to be apart from you again. Every morning, you’re the first thing I want to see, and I want to sleep with you safe in my arms every night.”

You smiled softly, giddy with the happiness of having him back and not fully processing what he was saying. “Me too,” you answered. He blinked, not expecting your calm response. He realized you weren’t getting the idea, so he cleared his throat and got down on one knee. Your eyes widened and your breath caught in your chest. 

“What I’m trying to say, Dove, is I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He pulled a small box out of his pocket and the pieces finally clicked into place in your head. “So, will you marry me?”

Your mind short circuited and you found you couldn’t speak. Instead, you did the next best thing: you started sobbing. Jinho’s eyes went wide and he quickly stood and wrapped you in his arms.

“Babe? What’s wrong? If you aren’t ready that’s fine. We can wait-” he started, alarmed by your reaction.

You pushed away from him to look him in the eye. “No! I- Yes! I want to marry you. I really really want to marry you!” His worry disappeared and his smile warmed you like sunshine itself. He slid the ring onto your finger and held you close again. The guys cheered and clapped around you. Hui was recording it on his phone, looking a little misty-eyed.

“You scared me for a second there,” Jinho said. He ran a thumb gently over your jaw and kissed your forehead. “I would wait as long as you need me too, but I wasn’t sure how I’d survive much longer without you being mine.”

“Jinho, I already am yours.”

“And I’m yours. But honestly, I think I have been since the day I met you.”

Once you calmed down Jinho released you to accept high-fives and hugs from the guys. They all observed appreciatively when you showed off the ring, even though you knew they probably didn’t know an engagement ring from a ring pop. You all settled on the couch and ate pizza, which had almost gone cold. Shinwon busted out some champagne and movie night ended up being semi-drunken noraebang instead. It was an amazing night and you loved the boys for celebrating with you, but you were getting desperate to have some time alone with your new fiance. He seemed to feel the same if his wandering hands and persistent kisses were anything to go by. Neither you or Jinho had drunk half of what the boys did, so as the last of the guys were passing out you turned to him. 

You had to wave Jinho away from your neck, where he’d set up shop, and speak up to be heard over the tragically messy ballad Hui and Kino was determinedly singing. “Do you wanna stay at my place tonight? I’m about ready to head out,” you said.

“Oh god, yes. Let’s get out of here.” He punctuated his statement with an enthusiastic kiss and pulled you to your feet. The last boys standing jeered childishly as Jinho led you out of the apartment and called a cab, but you ignored them. Jinho held your hand as the two of you exited the building and stepped out into the still lightly falling snow.


End file.
